


Like the river feeds the sea know that you, are all that I will need

by itubainaretro



Category: WTFock | Skam (Belgium)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Established Relationship, Lockdown Fic, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-23
Updated: 2020-10-23
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:29:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,823
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27165265
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itubainaretro/pseuds/itubainaretro
Summary: In a parallel universe coronavirus was still a thing but Robbe and Sander stayed together during lockdown.ORLittle snippets of Robbe and Sander's life during lockdown.
Relationships: Sander Driesen/Robbe IJzermans
Comments: 9
Kudos: 62





	Like the river feeds the sea know that you, are all that I will need

**Author's Note:**

> This idea came to me in the beggining of the pandemic when I wondered what life would be like for Robbe and Sander had they stayed together during lockdown and it turned out like this. I hope you enjoy it!
> 
> Thank you @ayellowcurtain for proof reading this <3
> 
> Come talk to me on tumblr! @itubainaretro

When news broke that the cases of coronavirus were spreading faster by the day and that Belgium was headed towards a lockdown because they’ve been hit hard by the pandemic Sander and Robbe didn’t know how they would go on about the situation - they didn’t know if they would spend the lockdown together or apart, each one with their own families. They only knew that they had to make a decision and stick to it, cause they shouldn’t be roaming around the streets of Antwerp after a certain date.

They talked about it with their moms, both of them telling them they were free to choose for themselves and if they wanted to spend it together they were welcome whichever home they decided was best for them.

Robbe told Sander he wanted them to be wherever they felt most comfortable being. He knew how important it was for Sander to be in the familiarity of his own home and room, and he also knew they were about to face something bigger than them and totally unpredictable, so he didn’t want to add to that the anxiety that being out of your comfort zone could bring.

And ok, they had spent the night at each other’s places before, but they could always come and go whenever they pleased, so having to decide where they needed to stay for good for almost a month - at _least_ \- seemed like something _big_ and even though Sander agreed that maybe it _was_ better to stay at his own house, he didn’t want to make Robbe choose between him and his own mother. Robbe didn’t have to say anything for him to know that he didn’t want to leave his mama alone in times like these, so they decided to stay at Robbe’s house.

Sander didn’t worry too much about his mama, since she would still have his father and little sister, Cara, to keep her company, so he packed a bag with all the essential things he would need for the foreseeable future - clothes (not too many of those, since Robbe cleared out one of his drawers to give it to him recently and he had plenty of stuff at his place already), toiletries (he needed to change the toothbrush he left at Robbe’s anyway), books, his pencils and charcoal, his sketchbook, his school stuff, his notebook and camera - and went.

-

In the beginning, it felt like they were still in school and that everything was as it always has been (minus the not going out part) with all the school work both of them got from their professors, so they focused on that first, but as the days went by they had less and less work to do and almost too much time on their hands so it almost started feeling like they were on vacation.

-

At first, it felt great, having that much time to do anything they wanted to, just them, so they started by binge watching Netflix because Elite’s latest season had just come out and Robbe insisted that Sander watched it with him. Sander rolled his eyes at him when he suggested it, but later on, admitted he saw the first and second seasons and kinda loved it. 

They watched the whole season in one day.

-

After catching up with all the series they were behind, they moved on to movies that had made their way into their To Watch list throughout the time they’ve been together. There were quite a few, from different genres, going from Lady and the Tramp because, _“how on earth have you never watched it, Sander? you have a little sister and you were a kid once in your life too, you know? Besides, it’s a classic”_ , to Ferris Bueller’s Day Off because, _“this movie shaped me as a rebel, Robbe”, ‘what are we gonna do?’ ‘the question isn’t what are we going to do, the question is: what aren’t we going to do?’_ , Sander quoted to prove his point and finished saying, _“this is a classic, love”_.

Their favorite one was a brazilian movie, called _Hoje Eu Quero Voltar Sozinho_ , that Robbe had already seen once and mentioned it to Sander in one of their various conversations about movies, a long time ago. 

They were enjoying the song playing while the credits rolled when Sander asked softly why Robbe chose that particular movie.

“The first time I watched it was when I was starting to wonder about my sexual orientation and thinking that maybe I was not as straight as I thought I was”, Robbe started with a hushed voice. “It was a very difficult time for me, as you know it, and things at home weren’t that great either.... and this movie was the only spark of love and hope that I saw in the middle of all that chaos and self-hatred that I felt inside - it was the only thing telling me that maybe things would be okay, and I wanted to share the feeling with you”, he finished, bashfully. 

Sander’s eyes were filled with tears when he pulled Robbe closer to tell him how much he loved him and how proud he was of the person he became. He kissed every part of Robbe’s face he could reach: his eyes, his cheeks, his nose, his chin, and finally his lips.

After some time, Sander grabbed his phone and typed something and the same song from the ending scene and credits started playing and Sander pulled Robbe up from the bed. 

“Come on, we’re going to dance.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“ _No_.”

“ _Yes_.”

And who was Robbe to say no to Sander when there was indeed too much love to go around these days?

-

They read some books too, each boy with their own, at first.

As the days went by, though, they grew tired of being in silence together, so after finishing their respective books they agreed on one they would read together, aloud.

As per Sander’s request, Robbe was the one to read it.

“Please? Your voice is soothing”, Sander smiled at Robbe, “I like listening to it, it’s like music to my ears.”

“Shut up”, Robbe rolled his eyes fondly and shook his head, smiling.

“It’s true, though. You _do_ have a nice voice”, Sander reaffirmed, a smile never leaving his lips.

So he read from the book they chose, one hand holding the book, the other playing with Sander’s hair from where his head was resting on his lap.

“ _Good morning, he said._

_Be at home in your head._

_Make sure joy is well fed._

_Don’t let dread hog the bed._

_Good night now, and rest._

_Today was a test._

_You passed it, you’re past it._

_Now breathe till unstressed._

_Good morning, stunner._

_You’re just getting started._

_Your age doesn’t matter._

_The sun is up, the day is new._

_You’re just getting started._

_Good night, stunner._

_You’re just getting started._

_Your age doesn’t matter._

_The stars are out, the night is warm._

_You’re just getting started._

_Good morning._

_Good gracious._

_Your smile is_

_contagious._

_Good night then._

_Good gracious._

_You’re one_

_for the ages…._ ”

When Robbe finished reading the poem and closed the book, Sander was already looking at him when he looked down.

They met halfway in a soft kiss.

_You are loved and we like having you around._

-

As the days went by, things started shifting. 

The days seemed longer and duller, there seemed to be a cloud of uncertainty hovering over their heads, the amount of information they were always receiving on the news seemed like too much. They missed the feeling of fresh air on their faces, they missed going to the skate park or seeing street art around Antwerp.

Everything felt like too much and not nearly enough at the same time. Too much information, too much bad news. Not enough space to roam around, not enough fresh air, not enough freedom. And Robbe’s mama was the first one to notice.

Robbe and Sander seemed quieter than usual, no music, no fits of laughter - usually heard from the kitchen three rooms away from Robbe’s room - were coming from there.

She went to check on them and upon seeing their frowny and preoccupied faces, took the matter into her own hands and decided to ask them for their help to prepare dinner.

They usually helped with setting up the table and cleaning after they ate, but she wanted them to keep their minds off of everything for as long as they could, so purposefully choosing something that would take them hours to get made, she decided their dinner would be pasta. Made from scratch.

They spent the entire afternoon preparing everything and didn’t even notice how time flew by while they were cooking, talking, and keeping busy enough to not have to deal with the outside world.

After cleaning up the kitchen they headed to their respective rooms and fell asleep quite instantly from how exhausted they were.

It was a good day, after all.

-

Some days later Sander’s mum called, claiming Cara, Sander’s four-year-old sister, missed her big brother too much and wouldn’t stop complaining about it.

Robbe and Sander spent almost the entire day facetiming her.

They talked about everything, engaged on her games the best way they could while being separated by a screen, watched Moana at the same time so they could talk about it with her, and finished their day by reading her a bedtime story, with Sander and Robbe making the funniest voices possible for each character to make her go to sleep with a smile on her face.

-

Later that week, Sander first noticed something was wrong when he turned around and saw Robbe - always the first one of them to wake up early in the morning - still in bed, cocooned by all their blankets, even though it was past 10 am. 

Noticing how the pattern of his breathing didn’t seem as even as it would be if he was asleep, Sander realized Robbe has probably been awake for quite some time already. 

“Good morning”, Sander said after dropping a soft kiss on Robbe’s shoulder. 

Robbe hummed and after what felt like a million years muttered a quiet, “Morning”.

“Did you sleep well, love?”

Robbe only nodded and that was enough for Sander to understand Robbe probably didn't feel like talking - they’ve known each for long enough to notice the little things and knew better than to push. 

After some time Robbe turned around until he was face to face with Sander and pulled the other boy closer, hiding his face on Sander’s neck and soon enough Sander felt tears leave his boyfriend’s eyes, leaving a wet trail on his neck and t-shirt. 

“Hey, it’s okay, I’m here. We’ll be alright”, Sander tried calming Robbe down, rubbing soothing circles on his back with the tips of his fingers, “It’s going to be alright”.

Robbe’s voice was hoarse when he said a few minutes later, “ _Logically_ , I know that. It’s just I’m-”, Sander felt Robbe’s voice breaking before he even heard him, “I’m worried. I’m always _so_ worried. About my mama, about you. I don’t want to lose either of you, but this fucking virus… it’s messing with my head”.

“Robbe, baby, we’re safe here. We’re all safe. Your mama and I aren’t going anywhere, okay, love? We’re right here. _With you_ ”, Sander tried reasoning with the gentlest voice he could muster.

Robbe nodded but Sander could still feel his tears falling down his eyes freely, so he tried a new approach.

“What if you and I play a game?” Sander asked. “I believe you already know the rules and I’m _almost_ certain you were the one who taught me how to play it. It’s called Sander and Robbe, minute by minute”, he said gently, smiling when Robbe looked at him, eyes still gleaming with tears. 

After Robbe nodded, Sander continued, “In the next minute we’re just going to lie here and breathe together, is that okay?”

When Robbe nodded again, Sander took his hand and placed it on his chest so they could match their breathing. Robbe grabbed Sander’s hand and put it over his own heart and there they stayed for the next minute.

When their breathing was even Robbe asked quietly, “In the next minute, can I kiss you?”

Sander didn’t even bother answering, grabbing hold of Robbe’s jaw and pressing their lips softly together instead.

In the next minute, Robbe seemed much more settled and calm, so they just stayed there, lying together in bed, Robbe’s head tucked on Sander’s neck, Sander’s hand playing with his hair.

Neither of them noticed they had fallen asleep again, so Robbe was surprised to wake up to an empty bed next to him hours later.

Only it wasn’t _that_ empty when he looked closer and found a card placed on Sander’s pillow, with Sander’s careful handwriting on both sides.

  
  


**_I know it’s not much, but I want you to know that we’ll get through this together, baby. It’s you and me against the world, forever, in all universes._ **

**_We’ll be fine._ **

**_I love you._ **

**_PS: I’m waiting for you in the tv room with your chamomile tea_ **

And that was just how Robbe found Sander later, in the tv room, like he promised, with his chamomile tea, watching a movie with Robbe’s mama.

Sander made space for Robbe to plaster himself against him on the couch and passed him his tea once Robbe was settled. At Robbe’s surprised face at the tea still being warm Sander explained, “You always go to the bathroom to wash your hands and face after you wake up, no matter what, so I put the kettle on when I heard you”.

 _God_ , Robbe loved him so much. 

He smiled.

They would be alright.

-

It wasn’t the easiest thing in the world to keep that mindset, but they tried, and even though the days seemed to be getting impossibly bluer as the news didn’t get any better and there was no indication of when everything would go back to normal, there were some good things that happened that helped them keep their hopes up. 

Like when they found a family of four kittens near their garage one Thursday morning.

Eileen was making coffee and Sander and Robbe were setting up the table for breakfast, talking about the last movie they’ve seen, when Robbe heard a sound coming from outside their home.

He looked up at her and said, “Mama, did you hear this noise?”

“What noise, dear?”, Eileen asked, turning around.  
  
“I heard something coming from outside, I think there’s something in the garage.”  
  
“What are you talking about, Robbe?”, Eileen was still confused.  
  
“I heard it too, actually”, Sander chimed in.

Robbe scrunched up his eyebrows when he heard another sound and both Sander and Eileen looked at the door. 

They went outside and started looking for the source of the noise. 

Near their garage there was a small spot in the wall reserved for pots of plants, where Eileen usually left a nice vase with colorful flowers to brighten up the place. That spot was now empty. Well, not exactly empty, but lacking flowers, more like.

Instead of the usual flowers occupying said place, there now stood three little kittens, while one was trying to climb up the wall, trying to get closer to their family. That explained the noise they heard, as the vase that once stood there was now shattered on the floor. 

They tried gently approaching the kittens, Sander and Eileen being the only ones to succeed, and when the kittens finally trusted them enough to let themselves be taken by the pair, the three of them walked back inside, hands full of cute kittens.

Eileen took care and examined each one of them, paying close attention to see if any of them had any injury or needed medical care, but they were all fine and healthy, so they fed them and played with them, forgetting about breakfast.

Almost an hour later, when Robbe’s stomach grumbled and the kittens were half asleep on their laps they got up and went to the kitchen to finally have breakfast, leaving the kittens sleeping on a makeshift bed Eileen had put up with some old cushions and sheets she had laying around somewhere around the house.

“They need names”, Robbe said as soon as he sat on the table and poured himself a cup of coffee.

They had discussed the possibility of keeping the kittens earlier, when they were still playing with them, and for the time being, Eileen agreed to it, asking the boys for help to take care of them.

“They do”, Eileen agreed. “Any suggestions?”, she looked at Robbe and Sander.

“Freddie, Roger, Brian and John”, Sander said easily, a smile plastered on his face.

Robbe raised his left eyebrow. “Really?”

Sander nodded.

“I’m surprised you didn’t suggest Bowie 1, Bowie 2, Bowie 3, and Ziggy Stardust”, Robbe teased.

Sander stuck his tongue out at Robbe and both Robbe and his mama laughed.

“I like it, Sander”, Eileen smiled at him. “Thank you.”

Sander stuck his tongue out at Robbe again.

“Shut up”, Robbe rolled his eyes at him but couldn’t help smiling.

They listened to Queen the whole afternoon.

-

Robbe wished all days could be as easy as the day the kittens were found and the days that followed them, when each day one of them learned how to do a new thing and everyone was endeared by them and the days passed by in the blink of an eye, filled with laughter, warmth, and happiness, but unfortunately, it wasn’t the case.

A week and a half later Robbe noticed how everything was starting to catch up with his mama and things became kind of too much for her as well. 

He noticed it during breakfast, when all of them were gathered around the table, still half asleep, eating croques made by Sander and drinking coffee. She looked like she was in another world completely, her eyes missing that natural glint that always assured Robbe that things would be fine. He worried for her and because of her, but he also knew that there was not much he could do. 

He just wished things could be easier for her.

-

A couple of days went by and Robbe’s mama still didn’t feel that well, spending most of the time in her room, only leaving to make them food or occasionally go to the bathroom.

Sander saw how worried Robbe was so he asked him if there was anything they could do to help her, or if there was anything she liked to do when she felt down, like he liked to immerse himself into his art when he was having bad days, Eileen probably had something that took her mind off of things when she felt down as well. So Robbe wrecked his brain trying to think of something until he remembered.

“She likes gardening”, Robbe smiled, thinking about all the times he found his mama caring for the flowers of their garden when he was a little kid. It has probably been ages since Robbe last helped her and just the thought of it made something break inside Robbe’s chest.

“I have no idea how to do any of this, but maybe we can try? For her?”, Sander was already rummaging through his clothes to find something comfortable to wear.

 _God_ , Robbe really loved him. He nodded and after changing into some old clothes that were bound to get dirty he dragged Sander to the garden, looking for where they kept the gardening things they would need. 

After some hours, a lot of dirt staining their clothes and a garden that looked half arranged, they heard some noises coming from the inside of the house and some minutes later Eileen opened the door to the garden and made a surprised noise. As she got closer to them, Freddie, Roger, Brian, and John, or Queen, as the four of them were often called now, following close behind, Robbe noticed she had a smile on her face and looked a bit more rested.

“We know it’s not much and that we’re probably not doing it the right way, but we tried”, Robbe broke the silence, shrugging his shoulders.

“And if you want to help us finish it, you’re more than welcome, Eileen”, Sander added. “And if you also want to show us a better, more efficient, and less messy way to do it we would love to learn”, he finished smiling, pointing to their dirty clothes as a way to emphasize what he was saying.

Eileen smiled at them both and after giving each boy a hug she pulled her sleeves up and got to work, showing them how to care for the plants and the flowers and how to turn the slight mess they made into a beautiful garden.

They spent the rest of the day gardening and when they were finished with it, Sander got his camera and they had a little photoshoot in the freshly revived garden, all of them still dirty, with the kittens running around causing mayhem.

Eileen loved them more than she could put into words.

-

The days seemed to be more hopeful after that.

There were still bad days in the middle of the good ones, but they helped each other get through it and they knew they would make it.

-

Before they knew it, it was Sander’s birthday and Robbe had a day filled with surprises planned for him.

It started with Robbe and his mama getting up earlier than they usually did to bake Sander a birthday cake. They decided on the chocolate cake because Robbe knew it was Sander’s favorite and he still remembered that one time he called Sander basic for liking chocolate cake and earned himself a full lecture on why the chocolate cake was anything but. 

After they put the cake in the oven Robbe prepared a tray of food to take to their room so Sander could eat breakfast in bed. All of Sander’s favorites were there: croques, pancakes, orange juice, berries, and black coffee. After managing to securely hold everything into the tray he made his way to his mama’s garden and plucked one of the beautiful flowers that had blossomed in the past week, with her permission of course, and decorated the tray and made his way to his (and now Sander’s) bedroom.

As setting everything up took longer than he originally thought it would when Robbe came to their room Sander was already awake, still laying in bed, lazily scrolling through his phone, probably answering people’s birthday wishes, and when he saw Robbe he smiled.

“Good morning, angel.”

Robbe smiled back at him, completely enamored with Sander’s freshly woken up face. “Good morning, birthday boy”, he came closer to the bed and gave Sander a soft kiss before placing the tray in front of him.

“And what’s this?”, Sander asked, a smile never leaving his face.

“Breakfast in bed for you”, Robbe smiled again.

“It looks delicious, baby”, Sander said, “thank you.” He grabbed Robbe’s neck and pulled him closer to kiss him, getting lost in it. He broke the kiss a few moments later. 

“Is there something burning?”

“Only my desire for you”, Robbe jokingly teased.

“No, Robbe”, Sander said, sniffing the air. “There’s something really burning.” 

“ _FUCK_ ”, Robbe exclaimed, getting out of bed in a hurry. “Your cake.” He ran to the kitchen to take the burnt cake out of the oven before the kitchen caught on fire and heard Sander laughing, slowly getting out of bed and following him.

Sander got into the kitchen in time to see Robbe with a frown on his face setting the cake pan into the sink, mumbling about how there was no way to salvage the cake anymore.

“I can survive a year without a birthday cake, you know”, Sander tried to soothe Robbe, coming closer to him and setting his hands on his waist. “It’s okay, baby.”

“There’s _no way_ you're not getting a birthday cake today, Sander”, Robbe protested. “You’re already stuck at home, I didn’t even get the chance to get you a nice birthday gift… the least I can do is bake a fucking cake”, he sounded frustrated. “I’m going to ask mama where the recipe and the ingredients are.”

“Hey, relax”, Sander looked into Robbe’s eyes, “it’s alright.” He lowered his voice and whispered into Robbe’s ear, teasingly, “if the cake thing doesn’t happen I’ll still have buns right here”, and gave Robbe’s ass a squeeze, just to make him laugh. 

Robbe didn’t even have time to react before Eileen cleared her throat from where she was standing by the door, holding Freddie in her arms. 

Robbe detangled himself from Sander and tried not to think about his burning cheeks and the clear blush that he was sure was adorning his face. “I burned the cake”, he said quickly.

Eileen laughed. “Yeah, I smelt it.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, dear, these things happen”, she moved her hand in a nonchalant way, “especially if you’re distracted”, she teased.

Sander barked out a laugh and Robbe glared at him.

“Is it okay if I try to make another one?”

“Of course”, Eileen nodded. “Here’s the recipe.”

“Thank you, mama.”

“Do you need any help?”

Robbe shook his head, “No, thank you. I’ll pay more attention this time”, he promised.

“I’ll help him if he needs anything, Eileen”, Sander reassured.

“Okay, I trust you two”, Eileen smiled at them. “The ingredients are in the cupboard on top of the stove and oh, dear, happy birthday”, she gave Sander a hug before leaving the kitchen.

As soon as his mama was out of earshot Robbe glared at Sander and gave him a punch in the arm. “ _You’ll still have buns right here?_ Are you fucking serious?”

Sander tried to stifle his laugh. “I’m sorry, I didn’t think she would hear… or see that for the matter”, he ended up laughing anyway.

“Sander, I live with my mama, what did you expect?” Robbe tried not to laugh.

“I don’t know, she could be in the bathroom, or taking care of Queen, who knows?”

“Clearly not you, you idiot”, Robbe laughed. “You’re the worst”, he shook his head.

“But you love me.”

Robbe sighed. “Unfortunately.”

“Heeeeey”, Sander whined.

“Okay, fortunately”, Robbe relented.

“That’s better”, Sander smiled, already invading Robbe’s personal space once again to give him a kiss.

“Happy birthday, baby”, Robbe wished once again before kissing Sander.

-

There were no more incidents in the kitchen and the chocolate cake Robbe and Sander made turned out to taste delicious, Eileen telling them so after they each ate a piece of it after lunch.

Sander spent the entire day talking to his friends and family, everyone that wanted to wish him a happy birthday, making sure to make an extra call to talk only to Cara because she missed him too much.

Sometime during the afternoon Robbe called for Sander from their bedroom and when Sander got there he was surprised to see all of Robbe’s friends on the screen of his computer shouting _surprise_ when they saw him. The Broerrrs, the girls, and even Milan and Senne were on a Zoom meeting to wish him happy birthday. They all had funny backgrounds and fake balloons to pretend it was a birthday party and Sander couldn’t have been happier about it, thanking all of them after they sang _happy birthday_ and saying it was the best birthday ever.

At night, Robbe cooked dinner and made Sander’s favorite food for them to eat together. 

When everyone was at the table making a plate for themselves Robbe’s mama got up after helping herself.

“Mama? What are you doing?”, Robbe asked, lifting an eyebrow after seeing her grabbing her plate, utensils, and glass of water.

“I’m going to my room so you boys can enjoy the night”, she said matter of factly. 

“Mama.”

“Eileen.” Both boys said together.

“You know you don’t have to do this, Eileen”, Sander shook his head.

“I know, darling, but I want to”, she smiled at them. “You two deserve tonight”, she winked at them.

“Mama….”

“Robbe, dear, it’s alright. It’s one night”, Eileen insisted. “Besides, I won’t be alone, Queen will be there with me and I’ll be listening to music on those nice headphones you so gently lent me”, she turned around, leaving. 

Robbe made a confused face, “I didn’t lend her anything”, he whispered to Sander.

Sander shrugged.

“So enjoy the night”, Eileen yelled from the corridor. “..... and use protection”, she added as an afterthought.

Sander burst out laughing.

“ _MAMA_ ”, Robbe yelled back, embarrassed.

They enjoyed the night to themselves anyway.

-

Robbe wished that day would never come because seeing Sander sad made him sad, but it did, as it did for his mama and himself during the time they were on lockdown and it was bound to happen to Sander too and it did a few days after his birthday. 

They woke up like they always did at around 8 am and went to the kitchen to have breakfast with Robbe’s mama. They ate together in a comfortable silence and after cleaning their plates Sander told them he was going back to bed because he wasn’t feeling that well and he wanted to sleep it off. Robbe knew better than to push or ask too many questions, so he kissed him on the forehead and sent him off to their room, saying that if he needed anything he would be in the tv room with his mama and Queen.

Robbe spent the entire day with his mama on the couch, working on his school projects and watching some movies when he was done with everything. Occasionally he heard Sander going to the bathroom and then going back to their room, where he stayed the whole day.

Some hours later, when it was already early evening, Robbe got an idea and asked his mama for help and after an hour or so he had everything set up.

Sander woke up and came to the kitchen half an hour later.

“Sorry if we woke you up”, Robbe said, opening his arms to welcome Sander.

“No, you didn’t”, Sander shook his head, nestling himself in Robbe’s embrace. “I was already awake, but I decided to come here when I smelt the popcorn”, he smiled.

Eileen smiled at them. “Well, I think everything is set”, she said while turning off the stove. “You boys enjoy the night and get some rest, okay? I’m going to bed.” She gave each of them a kiss before making her way to her bedroom.

Robbe dismissed Sander’s confused face and asked him how he was feeling.

Sander sighed. “I don’t know. Weird? Today was weird”, he looked at Robbe with downcast eyes. “Everything feels weird, actually.” Ever since that day Robbe found Sander in the Academy all those months ago they promised each other to always tell the truth about how they were feeling, even if they couldn’t exactly explain it themselves or if it didn’t make much sense, and Sander remembered that.

Robbe nodded. “Everything _is_ weird at the moment”, he agreed. “But it’ll pass”, he kissed Sander’s forehead. “And we’ll be okay, okay?”

Sander nodded. 

Robbe gave him another tight hug and after dropping another kiss to his head, whispered in his ear, “Come”.

Robbe took Sander’s hand and led him to the tv room and before getting there he turned around and said, “I have a surprise for you, so close your eyes.” And after he was certain he did, he went behind him and covered his eyes with his own hands because he knew Sander and he knew he would try to sneak a peek.

“Are you ready?”, Robbe asked as soon as they entered the tv room.

After Sander nodded, Robbe took his hands away from his eyes and said, “I know it’s not much, but I hope you like it and that it cheers you up a bit… you can open your eyes now.”

And when Sander did his eyes filled with tears immediately. 

There, in the middle of the tv room, was a blanket fort, decorated with shiny Christmas lights and filled with soft cushions and blankets inside. Netflix was already on and laying on the many blankets there were some food and drinks for them to share. It was something so simple, so small, but it made Sander so happy he couldn’t even form words to thank Robbe.

“You made this for me?”, he finally let out, voice unsteady.

“Mama helped a little”, Robbe smiled.

Sander turned around and hugged Robbe as tightly as he could. “I love you, so much.”

“I love you too.”

They stood there for minutes, just hugging and enjoying each other’s presence until Robbe remembered the popcorn and went to the kitchen to grab it.

When he came back he saw Sander just standing there, looking amazed at their blanket fort.

“Shall we?”, Robbe broke the silence, asking Sander if they should enter the fort and settle down for the night.

After arranging themselves around one another, not even an inch separating them, finding the perfect position to cuddle and watch a movie, Sander thanked Robbe again.

“I still don’t know what I’ve done right in the world to deserve someone like you”, Sander shook his head, forgetting about the movie that was playing for a minute.

“Please know I feel the same way”, Robbe chuckled, lazily playing with Sander’s hair, soothing them both at once. “I’ll never understand how I managed to have someone as amazing as you by my side, but we did it, and we deserve each other”, he looked down at Sander, finding his gaze from where his head was laying on Robbe’s chest, “because we’re both good and we deserve good things. We deserve each other”, he reassured him.

Sander nodded, tears brimming his eyes once again.

“And we’ll keep doing so every day, baby, no matter what, okay?” Robbe assured. “It’s you and me. 100%. Forever....”

“... in every universe”, Sander agreed.

They kissed each other then.

-

A few days later new measures were taken and people were finally allowed to leave their houses for little walks and exercises outdoors. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to bring a fresh wave of hope that things would somehow be okay eventually, so Robbe and Sander took every opportunity they could get.

They knew things weren’t suddenly back to how they always were, but they took things day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute, just like they’ve been doing since that day Robbe found Sander in his art room at the Academy and they knew that for the time being it was enough.

They had each other and it was enough.

**Author's Note:**

> Hoje Eu Quero Voltar Sozinho is called The Way He Looks in English.  
> The song playing in the credits is There’s too much love - Belle and Sebastian.  
> The book they’re reading together is Gmorning, Gnight!: Little Pep Talks for Me & You by Lin-Manuel Miranda.


End file.
